Big firms cranking up recruitment drives

I've met with several of the biggest brands in consulting this last week and I have to tell you the news is all good - for candidates that is. Without exception consultancies are all talking about the need to hit recruitment targets that - in their words - are "scarily high". The combination of growing client demand and worsening staff attrition has elevated recruitment (and retention) to being firms' number 1 priority for the remainder of 2005.

BT's new series of recruitment evenings for consultants in the early stages of their consulting careers is just the latest in a raft of company careers events that add to the perception that recruitment drives are being accelerated. Such events were commonplace during the dot-com boom, but being costly to organise they are something you tend to only see taking place when firms are pulling out all the stops to recruit. It's telling that Accenture, BT, Ernst & Young, IBM and PA Consulting have all invested in such events during the first half of 2005.

We'll be revealing details of our October Careers Fair in the next 10 days and the number of top brand consultancy firms attending is a further indication of the buoyancy of the market.

What's happening in your firm? Do post your anonymous comments below - would be great to share reader insights from as many firms as possible.

Tony